Inspired

Started the day writing a little frazzled as I realised there was a typo in my publishing logo. A half hour later and all fixed, but it always puts you on the back foot when that happens. But it didn't stop me from writing another couple thousand words on my latest novel.

So it made me think about being inspired to write. I work with other writers and one day they saw me at my day job writing while amongst a crowd and I got all excited because I broke 40,000 words. They were amazed that I could write in a crowd while other things were happening around me. I realised then they saw writing in a different way. I've said before that writing is work. Fun work but still work.

When you first start writing you think you have to have the perfect line for every line. And you agonise over a single word for ages. Then you get bored with the story or the character and the story you were writing just fizzles out. You will never finish a book if you write like that.

I was at a writing workshop and something the guy said made me realise that was the mistake I was doing. I was trying to write the perfect book when that isn't what you are doing. What you are doing is telling a story. When you realise that it really doesn't matter if you have the right word or the perfect sentence. The story is what pushes it all along.

I always started with a character. They always determine their own story based on their personality and circumstances. Then I put them in a world. Some times I try different people in different worlds. Until one fits and then I just write. I don't start with the plot that can change or develop as I go along. Once I've written a bit about this character in this world the plot kind of pops into existence.

Have you ever watched a whodunit and knew the ending. That is what it is like when you write based on a character and a world. There are only so many paths for them to go down. Like my latest novel Sorrow Also Sings. I had one ending in mind and went with a totally different one.

Writing should be fun but not perfect. Tell a story first and let the rest fall into place on its own.